Operative dental instrument.



No. 787,937. PATENTED APR. 25, 1905.

P. L. NORTON.

OPERATIVE DENTAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 28, 1904.

Wz'lnesses fm/enior QZMPM WQK 6' 2571K.

Patented April 25, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT QEEICE.

FREDERICK L. NORTON, OF BATH, MAINE.

OPERATIVE DENTAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,937, dated April 25, 1905.

Application filed January 28, 1904. Serial No. 191,075,

To 117/ who/it if 'llt l/I/ concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK L. NORTON, of Bath, in the county of Sagadahoc and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Operative Dental Instruments; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

Hy invention relates to dental instruments, and more particularly to clamps for rubber dams employed by dentists in inserting gold or other fillings into teeth, and has for its object the construction of a clamp of this character which may be applied to any tooth in the mouth, superior or inferior, without discomfort to the patient and which shall be effective in operation and economical in construction.

Generally speaking, the invention may be defined as consisting of the combinations of elements embodied in the claims hereto annexed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l represents a plan view of my instrument, and Fig. 2 represents a sectional elevation on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Describing the parts by letters, A represents a pair of curved jaws pivoted between the extremities of a pair of links F by means of the rivets U. The ends of the jaws A are extended beyond the point of connection with the links, forming a pair of operating members G for the jaws. Rigid with each of said members (1" and near the extremity thereof is a post I) E. Each of these posts is perforated at the end opposite that connected with the jaw member, and through the perforations in said posts passes the operating-shaft II. This shaft is provided with a threaded portion /1 and with milled heads it. The hole through the post E is threaded to correspond to the thread on the screw ll, while the hole through the post I) is unthreaded, movement of the operating-shaft through said post being prevented by means of collars b rigid with said shaft.

As will appear more particularly from Fig. 2, the jaws are curved downwardly from a point slightly beyond their connection with the links F to permit the serrated extremities B B of said jaws to engage the neck of any desired tooth without interfering with any other.

In operation the rubber dam is clamped to the tooth in the usual manner between the serrated extremities B B, it being only necessary to operate either of the milled heads 72 to cause said extremities to clamp the dam to or disengage the same from the desired tooth. In the drawings the instrument is represented on an enlarged scale, but as actually constructed is so small as to permit its application to any desired tooth in the head without discomfort to the patient. The curvature of the extremities B B of the jaws, the convenient manner of adjusting the jaws toward and from each other, and the range of movement of said jaws make the device truly universal in character and readily applied to any tooth in the head.

In the description and claims I have for convenience described the jaws as curved downwardly. This term is applicable to the device when in the position shown in Fig. 2. W'hen applied to a superior tooth, the curvature will be upwardly, the instrument being then inverted. Hence by the word downwardly-employed in the claims I do not propose to limit myself to employing the instrument only when in the position shown in Fig. 2.

\VhileI have described the invention in detail, :1 do not propose to be limited to such details except as the same may be included in the claims hereto annexed or rendered necessary by the prior state of the art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device for clamping rubber dams to teeth, the combination of a pair of jaws, each of said jaws consisting of a curved or bowed member and an extension of said member, a link between said members and adjacent to the junction with said members of the extensions, pivotal connections between said members and said link, and means for adjusting said extensions toward and from each other, substantially as described.

2. In adevice for clamping rubber dams to teeth, the combination of a pair of pivoted jaws, a post rigid with each of said jaws, and operating means engaging said posts to adjust said jaws toward and from each other, substantially as described.

3. In a device for clamping rubber dams to teeth, the combination of a pair of downwardly and outwardly curved jaws each having at one extremity means for engaging a tooth and at the other extremity a post, a pivot for each of said jaws intermediate its extremities, and means engaging said posts to adjust said jaws toward and from each other, substantially as described.

4. In a device for clamping rubber dams to teeth, the combination of a pair of jaws, each of said jaws consisting of a curved member and an extension rigid therewith, a pair of links embracing each of said jaws adjacent to the junction therewith of its extension and pivoted thereto, a vertical post connected with each of said extensions, and an adjustingshaft passing through said posts, substantially as described.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of a pair of jaws, each jaw comprising a downwardly and outwardly curved member and a rearward extension thereof, a link having its ends pivoted to said jaws at the point of junction of the curved member and its extension, a vertical post rigid with each of said extensions, one of said posts having ascrew-threaded opening therethrough and the other having an unthreaded opening therethrough, a shaft extending through said posts and having a threaded portion engaging the threaded opening of one of said posts and an unthreaded portion extending through the opening in the other post, and a collar rigid with said shaft on each side of said last-mentioned post, substantially as described.

FRED. L. NORTON.

Witnesses:

E. R. SPEAK, PHILENA S. MAINS. 

